Dental Assistant Program (DA)

Available in the Following Campuses

Program Description

A Dental Assistant works in a dental office or other dental facility and is considered an indispensable partner on the team. A Dental Assistant performs a variety of administrative and clinical tasks. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Dental Assistant students will be taught the principles of front and back office dental assisting. They will be introduced to the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology that deal with the oral cavity.

Students will practice and become adept at a variety of clinical skills including patient education, chair side assistance, x-ray and coronal polishing. The program includes didactic and laboratory hands-on training as well as a clinical externship component where each student will be placed in a dental office or facility.

Clinical Training

We, at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, consider clinical experience one of the most important parts of the medical education. Students will be provided with clinical training at one of the affiliated clinical sites, while attending our dental assistant school.

Clinical externship includes student placement in a facility that performs various types of skills and provides exposure to theory concepts, and an opportunity for hands-on practice. Externships will provide opportunity for students to assist facility staff with daily duties in the front and back office under staff supervision. This marks the point of transition from being a student to becoming a dental assistant. The externship serves as a practicum without pay to help students apply learned classroom skills. Students will have a variety of tasks to perform and to document for verification purposes. Daily attendance and performance at the site is verified by facility personnel.

Admission Requirements

Dental Assistant Program Length and Schedule

Length

32 weeks (946.5 clock hours)

42.5 Quarter Credit Hours

Sessions Schedule

Students must be available 8:00AM-6:00PM Monday through Friday for didactic and laboratory course work. While on Externship, student may be required to accommodate alternative schedules based on facility placement business hours. Students must be able to complete those special rotations at the schedule provided.

Program Fees

The table below reflects upcoming future starts only.

Registration Fee (non-refundable)

$75.00

Textbooks & Materials

$800.00

Uniform Fee (2 sets of scrubs + 1 sweater)

$110.00

Library Fee* (non-refundable)

$22.00

Lab Fee

$800.00

Laptop Fee (non-refundable)

$750.00

Tuition Fee

$13,061.70

Total cost

$15,618.70

* Library Fee Cost is calculated by the calendar year and is dependent on the start date and duration of the program.

Dental Assistant Certification in California

Find more information about Certification for Dental Assistants in California in the section Licensure, Certification and Registry Disclaimer in our Catalog and Addendum.

Facts and Fun Statistics

This is a new section for many of you who expressed interest in such facts as the ones below about our Academy and our Dental programs. Dental Assistant Program is offered at San Mateo campus of our dental assistant school. Let us share with you some facts:

More than 48% of our Main Campus, San Mateo campus: students come from Bay Area cities: Daly City, San Francisco, San Mateo, Hayward and South San Francisco. 29% from other Bay Area cities - Fremont, Newark, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Jose, San Leandro and Sunnyvale.

Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

Gurnick Academy is committed to providing thorough and timely vocational medical training to our students so they may obtain gainful employment.

Our institution has provided program specific information regarding gainful employment in compliance with the new Gainful Employment regulations for Title IV eligible institutions, put forward by the U.S. Department of Education, in July 2011.